Metal fabric or matting.



No. 760,164. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

IE. 0. SPARKS.

METAL FABRIC 0R MATTING.

APPLIOATION FILBD'DEO. 20, 190%,

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UNITED STATEs Patented May 1'7, 1904.

PATENT ()FEIcE.

FRED C. SPARKS, OF MARSH ALLTOWN, IOIVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARTHURS. BURNELL, OF MARSHALLTOWVN, IOI/VA.

METAL FABRIC OR MATTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,164, dated May 1'7,1904.

Application filed December 20, 1902.

T0 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED C. SPARKs, a resident of the city ofMarshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Metal Fabrics or Matting, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to fabric made of strips of metalc. 9., such asare employed in the construction of floor-mats.

It has heretofore been common to construct a mat fabric of long stripsof metal extending transversely across the entire width thereof and bentto form a succession of Us alternately arranged on opposite sidesthereof and flexibly connected by long pivot-rods. In the use of matsthus constructed the long transversely-extending strips and rodsfrequently become bent or warped, and particularly the marginal portionsthereof, either from resting upon an uneven surface or while cleaning orhandling the mat or from lateral impact or strains tending to bend orwarp the mat upwardly and away from its support.

The invention designs to provide an improved fabric formed of bent andperforated strips of metal which are flexible longitudinally andtransversely and which can be produced at a low cost. Flexibility in onedirecti0n-c. 9., longitudinal-is desirable to permit the mat to berolled or folded for convenience in cleaning or transportation.Flexibility in the other direction-c. 9., transverseis desirable topermit flexure,whereby the fabric will adjust itself to a floor. It isalso desirable to avoid employment of long strips, connecting-rods, orwires, which-are liable to become bent or warped while in use or whenbeing handled.

The invention consists in the several novel features of constructionhereinafter set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andmore particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a mat embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the flat metalstrips. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modification, showing the stripbent into a slightly- Serial No. 136,061. (No specimens.)

different form. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a 5 portion of a mat embodyingthe modified form of Fig. 3.

The strips forming the mat are arranged in longitudinal and transverseseries and are formed of flat metal bent into desirable shape. 5 5 Thestrips intermediate the marginal series of the mat are each bent to formlongitudinallyextending side portions 12,laterally-extending connectingportions 13, forming substantially a U,'and outwardly-extendingterminals 10 and 11. Each of the side portions is formed with alinedperforations 1 1, through which the pivotal connection between the stripand one of the longitudinally adjacent strips are extended, and alsowith alined perforations 15, through 5 which the connections for theother longitudinally adjacent strip are extended. Terminals 10 and 11are bent laterally and are each provided with a perforation 16, wherebythe strips can be flexibly connected with the 7 transversely adjacentstrip at each side thereof. The strips may be connected withlongitudinally adjacent strips by transverselyalined rivets 5 whichextend through the contiguous side portions of adjacent strips. Whenassembled, the connecting portion 13 of one strip fits and is disposedbetween the side portions of the longitudinally adjacent strip, and theouter surface of the side of one strip fits against and is contiguous tothe innor surface of the adjacent strip. Pivots extending through thecontiguous side walls flexibly connect the transverse series with eachother and permit the matting to be rolled or folded longitudinally. Thelaterally-extend- 8 5 ing terminal 10 of one strip is connected by pivot(I, such as a rivet, with the oppositelyextending terminal of the stripof the adjacent series. Pivots C are longitudinally alined and permittransverse flexure of the fabric on 9 the line of said pivots. Rivets Cmay be loose to permit unlimited flexure or may be formed to secure theterminals frictionally and permit limited flexure sufficient to adjustthe strips to an uneven bearing-surface. The

strips of longitudinal series A, which are adacent the margin, are bentto form a single U and laterally and oppositely extending terminals. Thecentral portion of the mat is preferably formed of long strips A. whichare bent to form a succession of alternatelyarranged Us andlaterally-extending terminals 10 and 11, connected by rivets C to theoppositely-extending terminals of the marginal series of strips, thestrips being pivotally connected by rods 6. Such construction rendersthe central portion rigid and flexibly connects the marginal portionsthereto. In the marginal series A the outer one of the laterally-bentterminals of each strip is omitted to form a substantially straightborder. Oppositely-extendinglaterally-bent terminals 10 and 11 of thestrips are slightly.

offset with respect to each other. The object of so forming theseterminals is to provide an arrangement in which the strips of uniformconstruction can be employed and in which the transversely-extendingpivots of the several strips of a transverse series willbe truly alinedWithout use of strips having the transverse perforations differentlylocated. other words, by thus forming alinement of strips theperforations will remain alined without employing strips perforated atdifferent points.

At the end of the mat pieces of suitable shape, such as a-and (0 areused to forma straight end portion. Strips a are-flexibly connected bypivots C, alined with the pivotal connections between theoppositely-projecting terminals of 'transversely-adjacent strips.

In Fig. 3 the strip A is shown as having its side portions formed withtruly-longitudinal portions 12 and 12", which fit snugly against theadjacent side of contiguous strips and are of advantage in flexiblyconnecting the strips by rivets, because the surfaces are trulyperpendicular to the line of flexure.

It will be understood that the width and length of the mat can bereadily varied by variation of the number of transverse and longitudinalseries employed.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to fabric used forfloor-mats, because it can be readily used in many instances Where aflexible metal fabric is used.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. Matting comprising sections, each sec tion comprising strips of metalarranged to form a succession of alternating Us, each strip havingterminals bent transversely and pivotally connected to thelaterally-bent terminal of a transversely-adjacent strip to render thematting flexible on a longitudinal line, the Us of one section fittinginto those of the next, and transverse pivots connecting the sides ofadjacent Us.

2. Matting formed of sections comprising a rigid central portion formedof long strips bent to form a series of longitudinally and transverselyextending portions, and laterallyextending terminals, one or more seriesof short strips adjacent the margin, and having laterally-extendingterminals, connected by longitudinally-extending pivots, to theterminals of adjacent strips, and transverse pivots connecting thestrips of one section to those of the next.

' FRED C. SPARKS.

In presence of A. S. BURNELL, A. L. FRAZERS.

